First-class direct mailers are still absorbing the harsh realities of
the recent postal increase and a variety of advertisers are examining
economic efficiencies of their methods of distribution. Every direct
mailer should seriously consider their "options" and one such option is
using insert media.

In the last 30-plus years, the number of insert media programs has risen
dramatically, along with a variety of options being offered to the
direct mailer. Let’s examine the maze of insert media opportunities in
today's marketplace.

PACKAGE INSERTS: These are free standing promotional pieces
delivered to mail order customers via their fulfillment package; i.e.
the insert is delivered to you in a box containing a shirt you ordered
from a catalog. Naturally the product shipment types vary dramatically:
catalog generated vs. space-generated, television or internet,
continuity or club oriented, business-to-business vs. consumer.
Correspondingly, the responses to the outside insert will also vary. The
going rate for package inserts is still an average of $60/M. The number
of outside inserts varies from four to eight. Generally, only
non-competitive pieces are included together.